


First Light

by letme_follow



Category: The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Cute, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-13
Updated: 2019-11-13
Packaged: 2021-01-30 03:54:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21421750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/letme_follow/pseuds/letme_follow
Summary: Nico finally realizes that he's loved. He finds the courage to confess his feelings to Will.
Relationships: Nico di Angelo/Will Solace
Comments: 4
Kudos: 83





	First Light

He hated himself sometimes. It was a dark feeling in the back of his mind that occasionally resurfaced. Nico supposed that everyone might experience the same thoughts of self-loathing, but he had never asked. 

Tonight, he hated himself for lacking the confidence to talk to Will Solace. The son of Apollo was in a constant orbit around his brain, keeping him awake all night. Will had taken up to him over the last three days, after he demanded that Nico take the time to rest and recover. Apparently, his body had desperately needed to recuperate from all the shadow-traveling he had done. Once his head hit the infirmary pillow, he had accidentally slept through the entire first day. 

When he had finally convinced Will that he was not, under any circumstances, going to attempt to use his powers again, he had been allowed to help around the infirmary. Dozens of campers were still bedridden with injuries. The poor Apollo kids were struggling to keep up with all their patients. They even had to start making house calls to the cabins, since the infirmary was so full. Nico had never seen Will so exhausted. He thought that the least he could do was assist where he was able, but he had still been uncomfortable about being in a place of healing as a son of Hades. 

On the last night, when everyone had been sleeping, Nico had persuaded Will to rest in his assigned bed at the infirmary. He had been in constant motion for far too long, and Nico didn’t approve of the dark circles that lined the other boy’s eyes. Will gave in - for once. While Nico had sat by his side, watching Will’s eyelids flutter close, something changed inside him in an instant. His chest suddenly felt lighter, like a hundred butterflies had taken flight in his heart. An overwhelming, calming sense of warmth settled in his bones and flooded his veins. 

There, watching Will sleep, Nico had realized that he liked him as more than a friend.

The next morning, he left before Will could wake up. Nico had not talked to him since. The entire cabin felt far too quiet. In the darkness, he lay still. The tumultuous emotions that crashed through him were oppressive. He wanted to scream at the top of his lungs, if only to release the pent-up nerves that were twisting his stomach into knots. Instead, Nico groaned in frustration and finally got out of bed. 

He slipped on his sneakers and left the cabin. The early morning air clung to his skin and made him shiver. Part of the night sky was still dark and scattered with stars. The sun was rising in the east, painting the clouds shades of pink and lavender. Nico trudged through the dewy grass without a direction in mind. He simply continued walking, farther away from the cabins, past the pavilion, and into the trees that lined the lake. He emerged on the other side, where the lake reached out to the horizon. The water glittered under the morning light. Nico strolled over to the dock. The wood creaked under the pressure of his weight moving across it. 

On the very end, he sat down with his feet dangling over the edge. He watched the sun continue to rise, slowly pouring over the camp and warming his bare arms. Nico sighed in content and closed his eyes. For once, he felt calm. He focused on the birds singing in the trees; the buzz of insects awakening; the fish that flopped against the water’s surface. It was peaceful. 

Then, he reopened them, his corneas stinging with exhaustion. A sense of clarity was budding in his brain. He laid out the thoughts in his mind one-by-one.

Surprisingly, his first was not of Will, but of his father, Hades. The memory came to him with ease: their encounter in the chapel. His father’s approval had made him feel significant. At last, his work to earn the absolute admiration of Hades had paid off. Nico smiled a bit, recalling his father’s softer gaze and reassuring touch. It was what he needed. Of course, the implication of his affection for Percy was unexpected, but Hades had not been ashamed – rather, he had been encouraging. 

Then, he thought of his friends. Jason’s unwavering support and willingness to stand by him no matter what happened. Reyna’s strength in his weakest moments; her understanding when he had banished Bryce. He had dreaded awakening, knowing that he had screwed up – knowing that Coach and Reyna would be terrified of him. However, the incident seemed to only further reinforce their friendship. It made them stronger, and for that Nico was forever grateful. Even Annabeth had his back. She could have been angry or disgusted when Nico had told her boyfriend his secret. Instead, she had grinned with pride and high-fived him. 

Nico swelled with something incredibly comforting and real that he had not truly experienced since Bianca was alive: love. He was loved, and the realization of such overwhelmed all the negative thoughts and feelings that he had been wrestling with before.

“Nico?” 

He glanced behind him, where Will Solace was standing at the end of the dock. The son of Apollo looked somewhat confused and suspicious. Nico’s heart beat hard in his chest, but he waved Will over and gestured to the empty space beside him. Will hesitated before he finally sat down, throwing his feet over the edge to hang just above the water. Their hands were mere inches apart. 

“Care to explain why you’re all the way out here?” Will asked. 

Nico shrugged nonchalantly. “I woke up early.” 

Will scoffed, a hint of a smile on his face. “Nico, you’re worse than the devil if you’re up before noon.” 

Nico ignored that first part – he admitted that he could be a little grumpy in the morning. “Okay, you caught me. I couldn’t sleep, so I took a stroll to clear my head.” 

Will hummed contentedly in response. Nico gazed at him curiously. He was staring at the horizon with a faraway look in his blue eyes. 

Will said, “I come here to think a lot, too.” 

For once, the following silence did not feel awkward or tense. It was actually quite comfortable; just Will and the sunrise and the sound of the wind rustling the leaves. He imagined the son of Apollo sitting alone on the dock with that same distant gaze. Nico suddenly wondered what had brought Will to the lake in the first place. 

“What are you thinking about now?” Nico asked, his interest piqued. As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized that the question was a bit more personal than their usual banter. 

But, surprisingly, Will grinned. “I’ll tell you, but you have to tell me what’s on your mind, too.” he spun around to sit cross-legged. Nico copied him so that they were facing each other. They were so close that he could count the freckles on the bridge of Will’s nose. A feeling of nervous excitement danced in his stomach. Will seemed to be having trouble meeting his eyes. 

“Well,” Will began, his grin widening. “There’s someone that I like in camp, but I’m not sure if it’s mutual.” 

He spoke fast, as if he would lose his nerve if he didn’t say it all in one breath. He found something particularly interesting on the sole of his shoe and started using his fingernail to scrap it off. 

“Oh.” Nico mumbled. He tried to hide his disappointment, but it must have been obvious, because Will sighed in frustration and put his head in his hands. Nico felt confused. 

“He’s extremely dense and reckless,” Will continued, his voice muffled by his palms. “He wears all black.” 

_OH._

Nico blushed bright red. He wanted to dive into the lake and never resurface. Maybe Percy could teach him how to communicate with the fish, or the nymphs could take pity on him. He clutched his hands together in his lap and focused on pushing air in and out of his lungs. 

Will sat up and rubbed the back of his head nervously. “Okay!” he exclaimed, making Nico jump. “Your turn.” 

“Uh.” he could practically hear his thoughts flushing down the drain as Will stared at him. Blood was rushing in his ears. His tongue felt too large and flimsy to speak properly. 

Then, a spark of insight finally ignited in his head. 

Nico had grown far too much to let his fears overwhelm him. He was no longer alone in a world full of monsters. He had friends – dozens, in fact – and they all had his back. They had only ever encouraged him to be better. They didn’t care that his father was Hades or that he was different. They cared about his wellbeing; his happiness. 

Nico exhaled and the entire weight of the world seemed to slide off his shoulders. “I was... thinking about you.” his voice was steady, certain. 

A smile that could light up the whole damn sky spread across Will’s face. Nico returned it shyly. The moment turned tender; it marked the beginning of something new. He knew that he would never forget it for as long as he lived. 

“S-So, what now?” he laughed. 

Will simply rolled his eyes. “You’re a dork.” 

He leaned forward and their lips met in a gentle, hesitant kiss. It only lasted a second, but Nico’s heart was soaring when they broke apart. He couldn’t stop smiling. He was sure that his jaws would lock and freeze it in place. He could have sworn that he was floating weightlessly in the air. 

“Do you want to go get breakfast?” Nico blurted. 

Will climbed to his feet and offered to pull him up. “Definitely, I’m starving.” 

He didn’t let go of Nico’s hand as they walked toward camp.


End file.
